1. Developing a mHealth intervention to promote uptake of HIV testing among African communities in the UK: a qualitative study.
- Author
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Evans, C., Turner, K., Suggs, L. S., Occa, A., Juma, A., and Blake, H.
- Subjects
MOBILE health ,DIAGNOSIS of HIV infections ,PATIENT compliance ,TREATMENT effectiveness ,AFRICANS ,HEALTH Belief Model ,HEALTH ,HIV infections & psychology ,FOCUS groups ,MEDICAL care research ,MEDICAL screening ,SENSORY perception ,SOCIAL marketing ,STEREOTYPES ,TELEMEDICINE ,PSYCHOLOGY of Black people ,QUALITATIVE research ,TEXT messages ,PATIENTS' attitudes ,PSYCHOLOGY - Abstract
Background: HIV-related mHealth interventions have demonstrable efficacy in supporting treatment adherence, although the evidence base for promoting HIV testing is inconclusive. Progress is constrained by a limited understanding of processes used to develop interventions and weak theoretical underpinnings. This paper describes a research project that informed the development of a theory-based mHealth intervention to promote HIV testing amongst city-dwelling African communities in the conditions.Methods: A community-based participatory social marketing design was adopted. Six focus groups (48 participants in total) were undertaken and analysed using a thematic framework approach, guided by constructs from the Health Belief Model. Key themes were incorporated into a set of text messages, which were pre-tested and refined.Results: The focus groups identified a relatively low perception of HIV risk, especially amongst men, and a range of social and structural barriers to HIV testing. In terms of self-efficacy around HIV testing, respondents highlighted a need for communities and professionals to work together to build a context of trust through co-location in, and co-involvement of, local communities which would in turn enhance confidence in, and support for, HIV testing activities of health professionals. Findings suggested that messages should: avoid an exclusive focus on HIV, be tailored and personalised, come from a trusted source, allay fears and focus on support and health benefits.Conclusions: HIV remains a stigmatized and de-prioritized issue within African migrant communities in the UK, posing barriers to HIV testing initiatives. A community-based participatory social marketing design can be successfully used to develop a culturally appropriate text messaging HIV intervention. Key challenges involved turning community research recommendations into brief text messages of only 160 characters. The intervention needs to be evaluated in a randomized control trial. Future research should explore the application of the processes and methodologies described in this paper within other communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2016
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